| 1. |
- Kattge, Jens, et al.
(author)
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TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access
- 2020
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In: Global Change Biology. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 1354-1013 .- 1365-2486. ; 26:1, s. 119-188
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Plant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for 'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives.
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| 2. |
- Grabowski, Martin, et al.
(author)
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Influence of an enriched environment and cortical grafting on functional outcome in brain infarcts of adult rats
- 1995
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In: Experimental Neurology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0014-4886. ; 133:1, s. 96-102
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The purpose of this work was to study if enriched housing conditions and fetal neocortical transplantation could enhance the functional outcome after focal brain ischemia in adult rats. The right middle cerebral artery (MCA) was ligated in 34 inbred, spontaneously hypertensive male rats, which were then randomly divided into three groups. Groups A and B were transferred to an enriched environment, i.e., a large cage with opportunities for various activities but not forcing the rats to do any particular tasks; group C was kept in standard laboratory cages. Three weeks after the MCA occlusion blocks of fetal neocortical tissue (Embryonic Day 17) were transplanted to the infarct cavity in groups B and C. Rats in group A (n = 11) and group B (n = 11) performed equally well and significantly better than rats in group C (n = 10) when placed on an inclined plane and when traversing a rotating pole 6 and 9 weeks after the MCA occlusion and in a leg placement test at 9, but not 6 and 12 weeks. Skilled forelimb function did not differ between the groups. Infarct size and thalamic atrophy did not differ between the groups and graft size was similar in group B and C. There was no correlation between infarct size and motor function in any of the tests in rats housed in an enriched environment. Since the environment can significantly alter functional outcome without reducing infarct size we suggest that more attention should be given to the role of the laboratory environment and to long term behavioral outcome in experimental stroke.
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| 3. |
- Mattsson, Bengt, et al.
(author)
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Neural grafting to experimental neocortical infarcts improves behavioral outcome and reduces thalamic atrophy in rats housed in enriched but not in standard environments
- 1997
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In: Stroke: a journal of cerebral circulation. - 1524-4628. ; 28:6, s. 1225-1232
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether grafting of fetal neocortical tissue 1 week after focal brain ischemia improved behavioral outcome and reduced secondary thalamic atrophy. METHODS: One week after distal ligation of the right middle cerebral artery in spontaneously hypertensive male rats, blocks of fetal neocortex (embryonic day 17) were homografted to rats housed in standard or enriched environments. Control infarcted nongrafted rats were housed in the enriched environment. Behavioral outcome was repeatedly tested until the rats were killed 20 weeks after the ligation. Ten days earlier, a mixture of 2% Fluoro-Gold and 10% biotinylated dextran amine was injected into the transplants for retrograde and anterograde tracing of graft-host connections. RESULTS: Grafted and nongrafted rats with enriched housing performed significantly better than grafted rats with standard housing on a rotating pole and a prehensile traction test. Grafted "enriched" rats were moreover significantly better than grafted "standard" rats and nongrafted enriched rats in a rotation test and a postural and locomotor tail position test. In the latter test, nongrafted enriched rats performed significantly better than grafted standard rats. The lesion-induced atrophy in posterior thalamus with its major sensorimotor cortex relay nuclei was significantly reduced in grafted enriched rats compared with nongrafted enriched rats. Afferent and efferent graft-host connections were identified in both grafted groups. Graft volumes did not differ. CONCLUSIONS: Neural grafting enhanced functional outcome and reduced thalamic atrophy only when combined with housing in enriched environments.
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| 4. |
- Sorensen, Jens Christian, et al.
(author)
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Fetal neocortical tissue blocks implanted in brain infarcts of adult rats interconnect with the host brain
- 1996
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In: Experimental Neurology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0014-4886. ; 138:2, s. 227-235
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The purpose of the present study was to study if the connectivity of fetal neocortical tissue blocks placed in ischemic brain infarcts of adult rats would be enhanced in rats housed in an enriched environment. We also investigated whether the enriched housing conditions could enhance the postischemic and postgrafting functional outcome, in terms of motor behavior. This part of the study has been published recently. The middle cerebral artery was ligated on the right side in 37 inbred, adult male spontaneously hypertensive rats. The rats were placed at random either in an enriched environment (groups A and B) or in standard laboratory cages (group C). Three weeks after the artery occlusion, blocks of fetal sensorimotor cortex (embryonic day 17) were transplanted into the infarct cavity of rats from groups B and C. After 9 weeks all transplanted rats received an injection, into the graft, of a mixture containing the two tracers Fluoro-Gold and biotinylated Dextran amine. The transplants revealed a structured morphology with whorls and bands of cells reminiscent of normal neocortex. Tracing of efferent transplant to host fibers with biotinylated Dextran amine showed pronounced intrinsic transplant projections, as well as fibers, although significantly fewer, to the host ipsilateral sensorimotor cortex, striatum, and thalamus. Host to transplant projections were revealed by Fluoro-Gold-labeled cells found in the ipsilateral host sensorimotor cortex, the basal nucleus of Meynert, the thalamic ventrobasal, ventrolateral and posterior nuclei, and in the dorsal raphe nuclei. We conclude that fetal frontal neocortical block grafts placed in brain infarcts of adult rats develop a morphology reminiscent of normal neocortex and that both afferent and efferent neural connections, although sparse, are established with the host brain, whether the rats are reared under enriched housing conditions or not.
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| 5. |
- Allen, David B, et al.
(author)
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GH Safety Workshop Position Paper: a critical appraisal of recombinant human growth hormone therapy in children and adults.
- 2016
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In: European Journal of Endocrinology. - 1479-683X. ; 174:2, s. 1-9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) has been in use for 30 years, and over that time its safety and efficacy in children and adults has been subject to considerable scrutiny. In 2001, a statement from the GH Research Society (GRS) concluded that 'for approved indications, GH is safe'; however, the statement highlighted a number of areas for on-going surveillance of long-term safety including; cancer risk, impact on glucose homeostasis and use of high dose pharmacological rhGH treatment. Over the intervening years, there have been a number of publications addressing the safety of rhGH with regard to mortality, cancer and cardiovascular risk and the need for longterm surveillance of the increasing number of adults who were treated with rhGH in childhood. Against this backdrop of interest in safety, the European Society of Paediatric Endocrinology (ESPE), the GRS and the Pediatric Endocrine Society (PES) convened a meeting to reappraise the safety of rhGH. The ouput of the meeting is a concise position statement.
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| 6. |
- Kassebaum, Nicholas J., et al.
(author)
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Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for 315 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (HALE), 1990-2015 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015
- 2016
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In: The Lancet. - 0140-6736 .- 1474-547X. ; 388:10053, s. 1603-1658
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background Healthy life expectancy (HALE) and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) provide summary measures of health across geographies and time that can inform assessments of epidemiological patterns and health system performance, help to prioritise investments in research and development, and monitor progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We aimed to provide updated HALE and DALYs for geographies worldwide and evaluate how disease burden changes with development. Methods We used results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2015 (GBD 2015) for all-cause mortality, cause-specific mortality, and non-fatal disease burden to derive HALE and DALYs by sex for 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2015. We calculated DALYs by summing years of life lost (YLLs) and years of life lived with disability (YLDs) for each geography, age group, sex, and year. We estimated HALE using the Sullivan method, which draws from age-specific death rates and YLDs per capita. We then assessed how observed levels of DALYs and HALE differed from expected trends calculated with the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a composite indicator constructed from measures of income per capita, average years of schooling, and total fertility rate. Findings Total global DALYs remained largely unchanged from 1990 to 2015, with decreases in communicable, neonatal, maternal, and nutritional (Group 1) disease DALYs off set by increased DALYs due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Much of this epidemiological transition was caused by changes in population growth and ageing, but it was accelerated by widespread improvements in SDI that also correlated strongly with the increasing importance of NCDs. Both total DALYs and age-standardised DALY rates due to most Group 1 causes significantly decreased by 2015, and although total burden climbed for the majority of NCDs, age-standardised DALY rates due to NCDs declined. Nonetheless, age-standardised DALY rates due to several high-burden NCDs (including osteoarthritis, drug use disorders, depression, diabetes, congenital birth defects, and skin, oral, and sense organ diseases) either increased or remained unchanged, leading to increases in their relative ranking in many geographies. From 2005 to 2015, HALE at birth increased by an average of 2.9 years (95% uncertainty interval 2.9-3.0) for men and 3.5 years (3.4-3.7) for women, while HALE at age 65 years improved by 0.85 years (0.78-0.92) and 1.2 years (1.1-1.3), respectively. Rising SDI was associated with consistently higher HALE and a somewhat smaller proportion of life spent with functional health loss; however, rising SDI was related to increases in total disability. Many countries and territories in central America and eastern sub-Saharan Africa had increasingly lower rates of disease burden than expected given their SDI. At the same time, a subset of geographies recorded a growing gap between observed and expected levels of DALYs, a trend driven mainly by rising burden due to war, interpersonal violence, and various NCDs. Interpretation Health is improving globally, but this means more populations are spending more time with functional health loss, an absolute expansion of morbidity. The proportion of life spent in ill health decreases somewhat with increasing SDI, a relative compression of morbidity, which supports continued efforts to elevate personal income, improve education, and limit fertility. Our analysis of DALYs and HALE and their relationship to SDI represents a robust framework on which to benchmark geography-specific health performance and SDG progress. Country-specific drivers of disease burden, particularly for causes with higher-than-expected DALYs, should inform financial and research investments, prevention efforts, health policies, and health system improvement initiatives for all countries along the development continuum.
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| 7. |
- Muneer, Faraz, et al.
(author)
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The impact of newly produced protein and dietary fiber rich fractions of yellow pea (Pisum sativum L.) on the structure and mechanical properties of pasta-like sheets
- 2018
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In: Food Research International. - : Elsevier. - 0963-9969 .- 1873-7145. ; 106, s. 607-618
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Two fractions from pea (Pisum sativum L.), protein isolate (PPI) and dietary fiber (PF), were newly produced by extraction-fractionation method and characterized in terms of particle size distribution and structural morphology using SEM. The newly produced PPI and PF fractions were processed into pasta-like sheets with varying protein to fiber ratios (100/0, 90/10, 80/20, 70/30 and 50/50, respectively) using high temperature compression molding. We studied protein polymerization, molecular structure and protein-fiber interactions, as well as mechanical performance and cooking characteristics of processed PPI-PF blends. Bi-modal particle size distribution and chemical composition of the PPI and PF fractions influenced significantly the physicochemical properties of the pasta-like sheets. Polymerization was most pronounced for the 100 PPI, 90/10 and 80/20 PPI-PF samples as studied by SE-HPLC, and polymerization decreased with addition of the PF fraction. The mechanical properties, as strength and extensibility, were likewise the highest for the 100 PPI and 90/10 PPI-PF blends, while the E-modulus was similar for all the studied blends (around 38 MPa). The extensibility decreased with the increasing amount of PF in the blend. The highest amounts of beta-sheets were found in the pasta-like sheets with high amounts of PPI (100, 90 and 80%), by FT-IR. An increase in PF fraction in the blend, resulted into the high amounts of unordered structures as observed by FT-IR, as well as in an increase in the molecular scattering distances observed by SAXS. The water uptake increased and cooking loss decreased with increased proportions of the PF fraction, and the consistency of 10 min cooked pasta-like sheets were alike al dente texture. The new knowledge obtained in this study on the use of extraction-fractionation method to produce novel PPI and PF fractions for developing innovative high nutritious food can be of a great importance. The obtained knowledge on the pea protein and fiber processing behaviour could greatly contribute to a better control of functional properties of various temperature-processed products from yellow pea.
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